Metrolinx awards second Crosstown Project tunnel contract

The Metrolinx Board of Directors in Toronto, ON, Canada, has approved the award of the Eglinton Crosstown East Tunnel construction contract from Yonge Street to just east of Brentcliffe Road.

"Approval to award this contract means Metrolinx and the province of Ontario can keep moving forward to deliver public transit that will transform the way residents travel across the region," said Metrolinx President and CEO Bruce McCuaig. "The Crosstown project is a priority for Metrolinx and regional transit, making it easier for people to choose transit."

This CA$177-million (US$168-million) contract is the second of the two tunneling contract packages for the Crosstown Project.

Aecon Dragados Joint Venture will begin work in late 2013 to construct approximately 3.25 kilometers (2 miles) of twin tunnels using two tunnel boring machines and precast concrete tunnel lining segments supplied by Metrolinx. The twin tunnels are to be constructed as a single pair of drives from a launch shaft located east of Brentcliffe Road to an extraction shaft located east of Yonge Street.

"We are moving forward on the biggest investment in public transit in the city of Toronto," said Ontario Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Glen Murray. "The Eglinton Crosstown Project will create tens of thousands of jobs and make it easier for commuters to get work, school or home to their families."

Tunneling from the west launch shaft area near Black Creek Drive to Yonge-Eglinton station began in June 2013, under a contract awarded by the Metrolinx Board last year.

The Eglinton Crosstown Project is a key project identified in The Big Move, the regional transportation plan for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Currently, Metrolinx has CA$16 billion (US$15 billion) worth of projects underway that make up an extensive network of regional rapid transit projects.